Christina Lynch, right, teaches English at College of the Sequoias and is a bestselling author. Her book 'City of Dark Magic' was a New York Times bestseller. Its sequel comes out next month.

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Students file up to College of the Sequoias English instructor Christina Lynch's desk in front of a dry erase board to talk about their next class project, a paper inspired by a book or current event.

One student wants to write about the baseball book "Moneyball." Another about James Frey's disgraced memoir "A Million Little Pieces." A third about genetically modified crops. Lynch gently prods her students to focus their topics, suggests other books, gives background information about authors and encourages her students' efforts.